Due to the famously bizarre way that the rankings are calculated, all Westwood had to do to go top was stay at home and leave his golf clubs in the garage. Westwood said that he spent the day “bumbling around Sainsbury’s” looking for some rubber gloves and mashed potato.

“The world ranking is about consistency over a certain period and that’s why I am up there at the moment,” he said. “It is a huge boost for my confidence.”

"I hope I can play well enough to stay up there for a while" - Lee Westwood

In 2003, Westwood had slumped to a low of 266th in the rankings. His hard work on the course and in the gym has seen him shed a lot of weight and return to top form, as shown by his recent performances in the Ryder Cup.

"To be able to sit down and say that I am the best player on the planet has got to be the most satisfying moment of my career so far" - Lee Westwood

Westwood is the first European to be No1 since Nick Faldo was there in 1994. Woods has now dropped down to second place, but needed just one more week at the top to have been there for a total of 624 weeks, or 12 years. The young German star Martin Kaymer has moved up to third place, but would have been No1 himself if he had finished in the top two at the Andalucia Masters last week.